Space Combat in the Nemesis Battlefront
「A large number of Silhouette-sized Kālakeya detected. Kou, be careful.」
「What about Vritra?」
「It’s holding back in the rear. It might be trying to gauge our strength.」
「So that’s how it is. A cunning dragon, huh?」
Kou clicked his tongue at the enemy’s composure. This was, in essence, a reconnaissance-in-force against humanity.
「The Vritra of mythology was a wicked dragon known for its deceit. Its name itself means obstacle or barrier.」
Kinukawa began explaining to Kou. The names of these AIs often reflected their characteristics.
「Deceit?」
「The battle between the god Indra and Vritra was fierce. At one point, Vritra agreed to a truce mediated by Vishnu, but it set conditions: ‘Vritra cannot be struck down by weapons made of wood or stone, nor by anything dry or wet, nor by the thunderbolt Vajra. It cannot be killed during the day or night.’」
「How do you even kill something like that? Sounds like it can do whatever it wants.」
「And in reality, that’s exactly what happened. Seeing the severity of the situation, Vishnu, who was also a god of the sea, decided to aid Indra. At ‘twilight’—neither day nor night—Indra launched a surprise attack. He used ‘the sea foam created by Vishnu,’ which was neither dry nor wet and not even a weapon, to cut through Vritra’s throat. Of course, this is just one version of the legend.」
「Wait, that actually worked?」
Kou found the strategy of exploiting loopholes to be quite ingenious. In fact, he didn’t dislike it at all—he even felt a certain kinship with the god Indra.
「It’s a well-known tale. In another version, even after Indra defeated Vritra, he was so overcome with fear that he hid inside a lotus flower. That’s how terrifying Vritra was.」
「Regardless of East or West, gods value contracts. In Indian mythology, gods often gain power by following their own set of rules. By the way, the name Kālakeya refers to the group of Asura gods who once served the evil dragon Vritra.」
「Asura? You mean that Asura?」
「Exactly. Since we interpret mythologies through the lens of later religious frameworks, it can be difficult to fully grasp the distinction between the celestial Deva and the wrathful Asura. Ideally, I’d like to discuss the deeper connections between Indra, Vritra, and their ties to resurrection myths, but I don’t want to confuse you, Kou-kun, so I’ll stop here.」
Kinukawa concluded his lecture on Indian mythology.
「Prepare for engagement, Kou-kun. I’ll give you some tips. Don’t worry, space combat in the Nemesis Battlefront is simpler compared to terrestrial battles. If I make any mistakes, feel free to correct me—Astraea, Kushinada.」
「Understood.」
「Okaaay~!」
Kushinada, perhaps influenced by her original, Eirene, showed no sense of tension.
「Space warfare is broader in scale but simpler in execution compared to ground battles. Stay alert.」
Astraea issued a warning, and Kinukawa provided additional clarification.
「In space, everything moves at high speed. You either maneuver through the battlefield while firing weapons faster than your own velocity, or you stop moving and engage in a direct firefight.」
「It’s really that simple?」
「There are fewer unpredictable factors—no atmosphere, no terrain. And there’s one more tactic we can use.」
「And what would that be?」
「Laying mines. Everywhere. And when it comes to mines, Kushinada’s original—Eirene—is an expert in them. And when you think of Eirene, you think…」
「Panjarndrums!」
「Exactly.」
The old man grinned like a mischievous child. For a moment, Astraea’s eyes seemed vacant, but perhaps it was just Kou’s imagination.
「Unpredictable, self-propelled mines—Panjandrums—don’t you think that’s exactly the kind of weapon space combat needs?」
「I do!」
Kou responded with firm conviction.
「Thought so.」
Hearing their exchange, Aimer muttered under her breath.
「If Rick heard this conversation, he’d lose his mind.」
Aki and Nyanta tried to calm her. Meanwhile, Blue was preparing for deployment.
「W-Well, they’re not exactly wrong. In battles between space fleets, mine warfare can be quite effective.」
Aki’s voice wavered slightly.
「There aren’t many cases where mines have directly inflicted damage, though. But they’re useful for tracking enemy positions, nya.」
「Did they ever use irregularly moving mines in the Interplanetary War era?」
「Never, nya.」
Nyanta answered immediately, without hesitation.
「So… is the fate of the battle really going to be decided by Panjandrums?」
Aimer muttered, as if struggling to process the idea. The other two seemed to share her skepticism.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「Commencing mine deployment. Deploying ‘Hierophant’ units in all directions.」
「So, in a way, we’re creating a ‘sanctuary’ with the ‘Hierophants’—a protective barrier of space mines.」
「I actually consulted Astraea before naming it.」
「Astraea?」
Kou hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation. Astraea, as if suddenly recalling something, spoke up.
「The naming of the mines is a trivial matter.」
「Yeah, you’re right.」
Kou agreed without much thought. After all, he had just finished developing the dummy of a colossal Panjandrum, which he had named ‘the Fool’.
「Don’t worry, the ‘Hierophants’ are equipped with the Merlin System. In forty-eight hours, they’ll automatically detonate, ensuring they don’t turn into space debris.」
「I’m surprised you even found the space to mount Panjandrums.」
「I carry them in the same way as Astraea—in external pods!」
Kushinada’s external pods disengaged, releasing a swarm of small Panjandrum mines into space. They scattered outward toward the virtual sphere’s perimeter, forming the boundaries of the ‘sanctuary’.
「Full 360-degree coverage. We don’t know where the enemy will come from. Always maintain an upper or lower firing position.」
「Upper or lower?」
「That means positioning yourself to shoot upwards or downwards. If your movement is only lateral, the enemy can predict your trajectory more easily, and your hitbox increases.」
「I see! By attacking from above or below, only my head or the soles of my feet are exposed—reducing my hitbox!」
「Exactly. Conversely, direct frontal engagements are the most dangerous—like being directly above a submarine. The same applies to the enemy.」
「Unlike ground combat, staying stationary isn’t an option. That means we need to coordinate with allies and keep shifting to either a top-down position while attacking.」
「Yes. Alternatively, you could take a stationary turret-like position within the plasma barrier, like Blue. It offers relative safety.」
「Got it.」
The MCS was now running at full capacity. As the sensation coursed through him, Kou realized something—it felt familiar.
「Piloting in space… it’s similar to the sensation of using Prometheus’s Fire, isn’t it?」
Kou had never personally activated Prometheus’s Fire as a limiter release, but he had faced opponents who had, pushing their performance to the absolute limit. Those enemies often struggled to control their hypersensitive perception.
He had only once experienced a similar sharpening of his senses—when Prometheus’s Fire had activated as an enabler of Unit 5’s latent ability, Indomitable Will.
「That is beyond my understanding, but as a human perception, that might be the case. Fennel OS is operating at maximum capacity to help you process a world moving at over 50 kilometers per second.」
One of the Fennel OS’s main characteristics was to work as an augmentation system designed to compensate for human limitations in space combat. Originally, Prometheus had gifted it to humanity as a piloting system for extreme environments, including outer space.
「Deep-space conditions also alter the effects of Whis. Since Whis is an energy where electromagnetic and gravitational forces merge at a higher-dimensional level—」
「Huh? Does that mean it gets even denser?」
「For both friend and foe, yes.」
「Understood. Which means… close-quarters combat is possible, too.」
「That is an option, but only for you and Kurose.」
「You’re counting me in too, Astraea? Alright then, Kou—let’s cut with our bodies!」
「If footwork and stance adjustments are meaningless in zero gravity, then the only way to cut is to throw yourself into the attack… We’ll need to develop a swordsmanship style for space combat.」
Kou immediately grasped what Kurose meant. The two exchanged glances and laughed.
If Whis became more effective in deep space, then close-quarters combat wasn’t just possible—it was viable.
Should they rely on thrusts or slashes? That was the real question.
「Maintain your distance.」
Astraea interjected with a firm reminder.
「I know! Don’t worry!」
「Understood.」
Not convinced in the slightest, Astraea exchanged meaningful glances with Aimer. Aki and Nyanta hurriedly prepared for support fire, knowing they’d have their hands full.
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